While Rockstar Games was giggling with anticipation behind their desks after they released two images teasing Red Dead Redemption 2 like fear gas in Gotham city just to watch us tear each other apart, the PC gaming community was actually afraid.
Afraid that, once more, just like the dozens of times before, and just like with the original Red Dead Redemption, we would have to watch an acclaimed AAA title pass us by while we hold out hope that maybe, just maybe, one day, we'd get to experience it under mouse and keyboard.
On Tuesday morning, our fears were all but confirmed:
That image is from the Rockstar Games' advertisement for Red Dead Redemption 2, and while they haven't officially said "No PC" and while there's still time for Rockstar to flip the switch, people said the same thing about the original Red Dead Redemption, and anyone who is still holding their breath for that development is blue, dead and unredeemed.
In a depressing way, this shouldn't be a surprise. While history will remember Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto V as coming out for all platforms, PC Gamers remember it as coming out a year and a half after a release on last-gen consoles and six months after next-gen consoles.
And while this may feel like a crushing blow, PC Gamers are the resilient type. Because we've been through this before and then some. This month alone, we've had:
– Watch Dogs 2 has been delayed on PC (albeit a modest two weeks).
– Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare released a Beta for PS4 and Xbox One, but not for PC.
– The much-anticipated Star Citizen announced this month that it's single player will not be coming out this year.
– Mortal Kombat XL needed a 28GB Patch for its PC release to run properly.
And, while I'm sure I'm missing some from this month, the problems didn't start Oct. 1, 2016, I promise you.
Batman: Arkham Knight – need I say more? – but I will say more anyway – was a disaster on PC. Even if you were one of the lucky ones who didn't have a problem running the game on PC (I think I might have been the only one), you still had to suffer like everyone else when they delayed the DLC for PC just to make sure it worked for everyone. It was so bad, it made everyone forget that Batman: Arkham City also suffered a delay for PC – twice.
Even attempts at progress are often ill-fated. When Gears of War Ultimate Edition for PC was supposed to be a strong beginning for Windows 10 gaming, it really wasn't.
Let's go back even further to a little game called Plants vs. Zombies 2. After the original game was brought to life solely because of PC gamers, the sequel only released on iPhone, and, despite assurances at the time that Plants vs. Zombies 2 would be even more widely available than the original in terms of platforms, it has since only released on Android as well. It's been more than three years.
ALSO READ: Best Parodies of Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption Tease
Meanwhile, a sequel to Red Dead Redemption was announced before a PC release was even seriously considered. And PC Gamers, god bless their souls, held out hope the entire time, even up until today, when rumors about what Rockstar was teasing swirled and we were allowed to hope that maybe this would be a remaster with a PC release.
And we're still holding out hope. There's already a change.org petition with thousands of signatures, surely to grow more fervent. And, while Rockstar Games had, and still has, the opportunity to throw PC gamers a bone, it doesn't look like that's happening any time soon. But damn it, we can hope.
